Great Bentley
Great Bentley photos (12 available)
Great Bentley maps (2 available)
Map of Essex
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
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Great Bentley books (13 available)
- 1 photos on Great Bentley appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Great Bentley
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Great Bentley and Essex
Great Bentley memories
Read and share memories of Great Bentley and Essex inspired by Frith photos
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Essex memories
A Brightlingsea Boy
I was born at 10 North Rd in 1936 My grandparents house[Harry & Maude Hammond. My mother Mabel Williams[nee Hammond] worked in James Shipyard during war then Telephone Exchange.remarried George Genever[who was buyer at Aldous Shipyard] in 1947.We lived at 15 Eastern rd then 2 Ladysmith Avenue.Brightlingsea was a great place to spend your childhood,either by the water or in the countryside, My best mates where Eric Woods,Jim Crosby and Colin Francis [Lost touch with all of them]. The pictures [all of them] brought back many happy memories,Since leaving Brightlingsea in 1957 I have travelled all over the world and now live in Morecambe Lancashire, I would like to hear from anyone who remembers me,
A memory of Brightlingsea contributed by Terry Williams
Where I was brought up
I was brought up at 110 High Street then at the top of Backwaterside Lane. My Grandparents were William and Louisa Barrenger. My Mum Mabel Barrenger (later Mabel Dutton) was born at 9 Hurst Green. Many of my family were all born there including my sister and two brothers. One of the things I can remember about the High Street is the fair arriving on Hurst Green and also watching the Carnival go along the High Street.
Brightlingsea holds many memories, the shops in the High Street, Bird's the newsagent, Phillip's the fruit and veg shop and further along there was the bakers at the top of Tower Street. On the opposite side there was the Chemist then the Grocery Shop.
read more here
A memory of Brightlingsea contributed by Anne Holmes
The village bakery shop
I was born in the village in 1965 and lived in St. Osyth Bakery, Spring Road for 20 years with my family. I can remember going to Bretts hardware and sweet shop with my 5p to get some sweets. I can remember Mr and Mrs Ayers who ran the vegetable and toy shop in Spring Road. We used to take part in the village carnivals every year with the WI. We were christened and my sister was married in the village church. I used to love singing around the big Christmas tree in the churchyard at Christmas time. I have now moved to North Wales but I will always remember St. Osyth as home.
A memory of St Osyth contributed by christine angel
Blissful days on the Amusements!
This picture takes me back!
It was around 1962 and I was 11 years old. We travelled down to Clacton from South Harrow on a Valiant Cronshaw coach which we caught outside a pub in Northolt - The Plough, I think it was. A great journey to Clacton, and we stayed at 92 Rosemary Road. Gwen Hawkes and her mum ran the B&B - does anyone remember her? We met some nice people there, Mr O'Keefe was one.
Apart from a massive thunderstorm, the amusements and beach were the main attractions and memories for me. On the way to the pier there were many arcades. I recall having to throw wooden balls up a "bowling" alley with netting on each ...read more here
Extracts From Great Bentley & Essex books
Grassington was once a centre for
lead-mining, but by 1900 relied on
agriculture and quarrying. In 1902 the
railway came to the village, with the
opening of a line to Skipton.
At 42 acres, Great Bentley’s village
green is the largest in England. Its steam
mill was built in 1886, and lasted until
1925, when the chimney was demolished.
An extract from from"50 Classics - Beautiful Villages".
For a number of years the five acre site stood in
splendid isolation with magnificent views of the sea
across open fields which had formerly been Clacton’s
first golf course and was later to become the Gardens
area. The home had cost £30,000 to build and was
designed to accommodate 26 men, 17 women and
12 children. An annexe for consumptive patients
was subsequently added. The home’s most notable
role however was to accommodate wounded soldiers
throughout the First World War. Shortly after the
Second World War the home was transferred to
the Kensington and Chelsea Health Authority and
it was closed by them in 1977. It was subsequently
taken over by the North East Essex Health Authority
and was used to accommodate up to 70 mentally
handicapped patients and as a small day care unit. It
was finally closed in 1985 and the site was acquired
by Wimpey Homes. The building still stands and is
given over to private dwellings.
Eventually Page’s Estate, Bruff’s Estate, together
with other estates around Clacton such as Round’s
Estate and Burrsville, linked up with the ancient
villages of Great Clacton and Magdalen Green as well
as the outlying areas of Jaywick and Little Holland, to
form what we know today as Clacton-on-Sea.
Maybe its glory days of the 1920s and 1930s are
gone, but with its several miles of golden sand, its
gardens and its entertainments and amusements
Clacton-on-Sea still has much to offer to the
holidaymaker and resident alike.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
To the right of christ church is the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Light. The architect was F W Tasker and the church was opened on 15 October 1903. It is cruciform in plan and consists of a nave of five bays with transepts to the north and south.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
The passmore Edwards Convalesent Home stood at the far end of the Promenade. It was concieved by John Passmore Edwards as a holiday home for deprived children. The foundation ston was laid by Sir H H Fowler MP on 19 May 1898 and the building officially opened on 23 June 1899. It eventually became a convalescent home and medical rehabilitation center for the North East Metropolitan Region and was closed and demolished in 1986.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".
To the right, behind the flagpole is the Life Boat House, designed by Charles H Cooke and opened in 1878. The building was enclosed by a fence to protect it from damage by cattle. The round dormer window at the top admitted light to the roof space which housed two large hook for raising and lowering the boat on to its carriage. A winding staircase led up the tower to the left where a warning bell was hung to summon the crew when needed. The boat was then drawn down to the beach by horses and launched from the beach.
An extract from from"Clacton-on-Sea Town and City Memories".